Writing device



J. W. ALBlN WRITING DEVICE April 4, 1939.

Filed May 19, 1938 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 15 Claims.

The present invention relates to a writing device and particularlyrelates to a pen device which may be utilized various types of recordinggauges.

In automatic recording gauges, it is necessary to utilize a relativelyexpensive pen device, which nevertheless, tends to clog readily withmany types of inks and requires frequent cleaning, replacement, repairand adjustment.

Because of these difiiculties, it is necessary either to inspect thedevice at relatively short intervals or there is a risk that the recordwill be lost because of the clogging of the pen device and the failurethereof to register.

These difficulties arise particularly in connection with remote controlstations providing automatic recording gauges for recording thevariations in temperature, atmospheric pressure, flow of electricity andvarious other factors or conditions which may be continuously varyingand of which it is necessary to have an accurate record.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a simple,inexpensive writing device of the character above described which may bereadily associated with automatic recording devices and which will giveassurance of an accurate record for long periods of time withoutfrequent inspection and attention and without the need of frequentreplacement.

Another object is to provide an automatic fountain writing device whichmay be utilized generally for writing purposes or specifically forrecording instruments provided with charts or dial 3' recorders andwhich will be substantially nonclogging over long periods of time eventhough inks of many different characteristics may be employed.

Another object is to provide a novel fountain pen construction which maybe particularly applied either for writing manually or in connectionwith automatic or recording devices and may be utilized for long periodsof time with assurance that there will be no clogging.

Other objects will be obvious or will appear durrig the course of thefollowing specification.

In accomplishing the above objects it has been found most suitable,according to one embodim ment of the'present invention to provide atank, well, cup or reservoir construction from the side of which thereproject two closely adjacent nibs having capillary passagestherebetween.

These nibs are preferably compressed together by a spring member insideof the well which spring member also serves to hold the nibs inposition.

The nibs may consist of a wire clip bent to gether so that the sidesthereof will be closely adjacent each other or it may consist ofseparate wire or bar elements which come to a smooth or rounded point towhich the ink will flow and from which the ink will be deposited uponthe writing surfaces.

If desired, the reservoir carrying the writing nibs may be carried by asleeve which in turn is encircled by a mounting sleeve having aresilient connection to the carrier sleeve. This construction enablesmost ready mounting of the writing devices either upon a manual writinginstrument or in connection with an automatic re-- cording gauge forrecording any number of varying conditions.

In the drawing which illustrates one of the many possible embodimentsaccording to the preferred invention, but to which the present inventionis by no means restricted since many changes and variations may be madeall within the scope of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a top view of the writing device with a portion of thereservoir cover broken away more clearly to show the internalconstruction thereof.

Figure 2 is a transverse section upon the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a separated perspective view upon enlarged scale, ascompared to Figure 2, with a part of the wall of the reservoir brokenaway more clearly to show the interior construction of the reservoir.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating how the device of thepresent invention may be utilized in an automatic recording gauge.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 55 of Figure 3upon enlarged scale showing the nib construction.

Referring to the drawing, the writing device is provided with a supplycontainer or chamber or reservoir A with the nibs or writing point B andwith the carrier structure C. 45

lhe well, as shown, consists of a cup-shaped vessel having a cylindricalside wall I0 and a relatively flat base I I and the cover I2.

The cover I2 is provided with a dependent portion l3 which fits insideof the upper periphery Hi of the wall l0 and with the outward flange 15which fits over the top of the wall Ill.

The cover is also provided with the air hole l6 which maintainsatmospheric pressure within the cup A.

The front portion ll of the cup is provided with the spaced openings l8which are of 8 shape with the 8 upon its side with central projectionsIS.

The cup is interiorly provided with the spring steel member 20 which maybe riveted, spot welded or otherwise connected to the rear wall 2| ofthe cup A (see Figure 2).

The edges 22 (see Figure 3) of the spring member 2|] are notched, asindicated at 23 to fit in the notches or recesses 24 in the side of thenib members 25.

The element B, as best shown in Figures 3 and 5, is provided with anopening 26 between the nib elements 25. The nib elements come closetogether, as indicated at 21, at their forward end and have a roundedfront point 28 so as to slip or slide readily over a piece of paper orchart to which they may be applied. The rear of the element B isprovided with grooves 29 which cooperate with the projections l9 topermit the element B to be inserted into the opening l8. Although theelement B is shown as formed of a clip or small wire bent in half, itmay be formed, of course, of different constructions and of two separateelements welded together.

From the rear wall 2| of the cup A extends a sleeve 30 which has a pin3| fitting in a slot 32 of the encircling or telescoping sleeve 33.

A coil spring 34 reacts between the end 35 of the sleeve 33 and the cupA to press the pin 3| against the end 36 of the slot 32.

The sleeve 33 may be mounted in the eye 31 on the holder element 38 (seeFigure 4) and fixed in position by the set screw 39. The spring 34preferably being under slight compression when the point 28 is incontact with the paper 40.

The arm 38 may be connected to a suitable automatically actuatedrecording member responding to voltage, temperature, pressure or othervariations, while the paper 40 is turned or moved by a clock with theresult that a line 4| is formed in accordance With the variations andconditions.

The cup A may receive a wide variety of inks and as soon as the cupmoves, the capillary action between the nibs assures that the ink willbe drawn forward to the point 28 and be deposited from said point uponthe recording sheet or chart 40.

At the same time, as soon as the writing device is withdrawn from thesheet 40, the ink will be withdrawn into the cup A. The compressedspring 34 will always maintain a satisfactory coniact between the point28 and the chart 40.

The device may be readily assembled, as illustrated on Figure 3, byinsertion of the element B into the openings l8 until the recesses 23engage the notches 24 holding the nibs firmly in position.

It is thus apparent the present applicant has clc""sed a simpleconstruction for writing devices which is susceptible for being widelyused in manual instruments as well as in automatic recording gauges andwhich will not clog and will record accurately over long periods of timewithout frequent inspection.

It is apparent that the specific illustrations shown above have beengiven by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that thestructures above described are subject to wide variation andmodification without departing from the scope or intent of theinvention, all of which variations and modifications are to be includedwithin the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

i. A capillary writing device comprising a vertical reservoir,horizontally positioned closely spaced nibs fed from said reservoir, andmeans to hold said nibs in said reservoir, said nibs consisting of wireelements coming closely together at their outside ends and beingslightly separated from each other so as to form a capillary flowpassage from said reservoir to said outside ends.

2. A capillary writing device comprising a vertical reservoir,horizontally positioned closely spaced nibs fed from said reservoir, andmeans to hold said nibs in said reservoir including a eylindrical leafspring, said nibs consisting of Wire elements coming closely together attheir outside ends and being slightly separated from each other so as toform a capillary flow passage from said reservoir to said outside ends.

3. A writing device comprising a cylindrical reservoir, closely spacednibs fed from said reservoir, and means to hold said nibs in saidreservoir including a split cylindrical leaf spring having notchedportions and interengaging notched portions on said nibs.

4. A capillary ink writing device for writing on charts of selfrecording instruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a flat covertherefor with a vent therein, horizontally positioned nibs fed from saidreservoir formed of closely spaced wire elements, and means to hold saidnibs in said reservoir.

5. An ink Writing device for writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a flat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir, and means to holdsaid nibs in said reservoir including a split cylindrical leaf springhaving notched portions and interengaging notched portions on said nibs.

6. An ink writing device for writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a fiat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir, and means to holdsaid nibs in said reservoir, said cup being provided with an eightshaped opening in its lower side walls, the nibs being inserted intosaid opening.

7. An ink writing device for writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a flat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir, and means to holdsaid nibs in said reservoir, said cup being provided with an eightshaped opening in its lower side walls, the nibs being inserted intosaid opening and resilient means to hold said nibs in position.

8. An ink writing device for writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a flat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir, and means to holdsaid nibs in said reservoir, said cup being provided with an eightshaped opening in its lower side walls, the nibs being inserted intosaid opening and resilient means to hold said nibs in position includinga split cylindrical leaf spring having notched portions andinterengaging notched portions on said nibs.

9. An ink writing device for Writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a flat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir and a double mountingsleeve arrangement for said reservoir including two telescoping sleeveelements and a spring encircling the inner element and biasing the outerelement in one direction.

10. An ink writing device for writing on charts of self recordinginstruments including a cylindrically walled cup, a fiat cover thereforwith a vent therein, nibs fed from said reservoir and a double mountingsleeve arrangement for said reservoir, said mounting sleeve beingprovided with an encircling spring permitting relative movement betweenthe sleeves of said arrangement.

11. A pen construction comprising a vertical cylindrical container and acapillary conductor member extending outwardly from the side thereof,said member consisting of a U-bent wire the legs of which are bent soclosely together as to form a capillary passage therebetween.

12. In a recording device, a capillary ink writing instrument comprisinga reservoir and a capillary member supplied from said reservoir, saidcapillary member consisting of two parallel Wires closely spaced so asto form a capillary passage therebetween, said passage being fed fromsaid reservoir.

13. In a recording device, a capillary ink writing instrument comprisinga reservoir and a capillary member supplied from said reservoir,

said capillary member consisting of two parallel wires closely spaced soas to form a capillary passage therebetween, said passage being fed fromsaid reservoir, said wires being pointed at one end to contact a chartto be marked and at the other end projecting into said reservoir.

14. In a recording device, a capillary ink writing instrument comprisinga reservoir and a capillary member supplied from said reservoir, saidcapillary member consisting of two parallel wires closely spaced so asto form a capillary passage therebetween, said passage being fed fromsaid reservoir, said wires being pointed at one end to contact a chartto be marked and at the other end projecting into said reservoir, theside of said reservoir having an opening the shape of which conformsclosely to the cross sectional shape of the capillary member.

15. In a capillary writing device, a wire bent double on itself to forma capillary channel to 'receive the flow of ink, a reservoir, and meansto fasten the bent portion of said wire within said reservoir.

JEREMIAH W. ALBIN.

